Banjo



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK R. MUSTILL, OF AKRON, OHIO.

BANJO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,693, dated October 12, 1886.

Application filed July 12, 1886.. Serial No. 207,773. (No model.)

To all whmn/ it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK R. MUs'rILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Banjos, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are, generally, to increase the compass and volume of tone of the instrument; to adapt it to produce new effects, both in tone, volume, and variety; to reduce its size for packing and transporta tion, and specifically to preserve the hoop intact without cut or orifice; to provide new appliances for straining and retaining the skin upon the head, and to provide devices for readily releasing the tail-piece to enable the instrument to be folded.

My invention consists of the devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as here inafter described and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my improved banjo. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same, and Fig. 8 a cross-sec tion of the head and part of the neck through the center line thereof.

The head A consists of a metallic hoop, a, of sheet metal, without cut or orifice, a broad and thick hard-wood ring, B, provided with a channel in its upper face about two-thirds of the distance from its outer edge, in which the lower edge of the hoop a rests, and a broad metallic ring, 0, of the same external diameter as the ring B, which surrounds the upper edge of the hoop a and strains the skin 0 thereon, the whole being connected by bolts 6, which pass outside of and do not touch the hoop a, through corresponding holes in the rings 0 B, and are tightened by nuts beneath the latter. By this arrangement the skin is strained tighter than by any other device now in use for the purpose; the bolts are not liable to break, (a not infrequent accident in other appliances;) the hoop a is uncut and intact, thereby preserving all its sonorous qualities in the greatest degree, and the wood ring B which projects inward beyond the hoop a tends to retain and prolong the sound.

The inner end of the neck D conforms in shape to the periphery and thickness of the rings B C, against which it rests, and is connected with the former by a hinge, d. Opposite the space between said rings it is cut away for a considerable distance forward, both for the purpose of lightness and to avoid interference with the resonant qualities of the hoop a.

In view of the extreme tension of the skin 0, secured as hereinbefore described, the neck is provided with guitarkeys instead of the usual peg-key, wherebyit can be readily tuned with great accuracy as a concert instrument.

The tail-piece G is connected with a post, 9, attached to the ring B, by a double hook or open link, H.

In operation the tension of the strings holds the neck firmly against the head, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

hen not in use, the strings can be relaxed, the open link H unhookcd, and the head folded back upon the neck, thereby reducing the length of the instrument about onethird. for packing and transportation.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a banjo-head, the combination, with a metallic hoop, of awood ring having in its upper face an annular channel, in which the lower edge of said hoop rests, and a metallic ring surrounding its upper edge, said metallic and wood rings being united bya series of bolts outside of said hoop, substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with abanjo-head, of a neck having its inner end conformed to fit the outer projecting portions of said head and united therewith by a hinge, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbeforc set forth.

3. The combinatiomwith a banjo-head consisting of a hoop retained between a lower and upper ring united by bolts outside of said hoop, of a neck having its inner end conformed to fit the outer edges of said rings, hinged to one of said rings, and cut away 0pposite the space between said rings for a portion of its length, substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, in the head A, with the tail-piece G and post g, of the open link H, all constructed and arranged substantially as shown, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of June, A. D. 1886.

FRANK R. MUSTILL.

XVitnesscs:

E. \V. STUART, O. P. HUMPHREY.

(No Model.)

G. E NICHOLAS.

SASH LOCK.

No. 350,694. Patented 00 12, 1886.

i WITNESSES: E 6 6 INVENTOR: i fi '6 M BY ATTORNEYS. 

